Generally, some compositions which include an acid component and an acid-degradable component are desired to be fresh or to have characteristics of freshness when used by an end user. Examples of such compositions include some beverages that are packaged and stored for long periods of time before consumption or are made from beverage components that are stored for long periods of time before mixing to form the beverage which is then consumed by an end user. A particular example is a carbonated soft drink which typically includes an acid component and an acid-degradable component. More generally, other compositions may include a first component and a second component, wherein the second component is degradable by the first component. As used herein, the term “degradable” refers to the capability of the second component to react with the first component. For example, the second component may be capable of chemically reacting with the first component to form a chemically different composition.
In addition, there is a wide variety of compositions which can be mixed on demand for use by an end user. For example, in the contemporary beverage market, there is increasing demand for a large variety of beverage flavors and products. In addition to the traditional cola brands containing syrup and caffeine, there is a demand for artificially sweetened drinks, caffeine-free drinks, calorie-free drinks, low-calorie drinks, low-carbohydrate drinks, and multi-flavored drinks such as lime or vanilla flavored colas. The beverage industry has responded to this demand by providing a large variety of pre-mix, packaged products to satisfy the consumer's tastes.
In the post-mix or fountain beverage market conventional dispensers are bi-mix systems which mix sweetened flavor concentrate (also called “syrup”) and a diluent, such as carbonated water, together to form a post-mix beverage. Generally speaking, these dispensers have one dispenser nozzle and an associated valve for each flavor of beverage to be dispensed. Consequently, the number of beverage choices for a given dispenser is limited by the number of nozzles available, especially since the use of the same nozzle for different flavors is likely to result in flavor carry-over from beverage to beverage.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,753,370, which is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, discloses a tri-mix beverage dispensing system which includes an unsweetened flavor concentrate assembly having multiple flavor concentrates, a sweetener syrup assembly, and a diluent assembly, such as for carbonated water. Each flavor concentrate comprises all the components of the beverage except for the sweetener syrup and the diluent. One of the flavor concentrates, the sweetener syrup, and the diluent are mixed together to form a post-mix beverage. Mixing occurs outboard of a nozzle structure. Consequently, a common nozzle may be utilized for mixing a wide variety of beverage flavors without flavor carry-over in the nozzle. However, each beverage selection must have a separate, respective flavor concentrate. Thus, the number of beverages which may be dispensed is equivalent to and dependent upon the number of flavor concentrates.
Accordingly, there is a need for a method and apparatus for making and dispensing a greater variety of compositions and beverages which are independent of the number of components available.